John foulk ayres



(No Model.)

-J. P. AYRES. FENDER 0R GUARD FORTRAMWAY CARS. No. 595,362. Patented Dec. 14,1897.

WITNESS 8 Tram/Em TN: "mum PETERS co, wuo'roumu. WASHINGTON. o. c,

UNITE STATES JOHN FOULK AYRES, OF ALLOWAY, NEW JERSEY.

FENDER OR GUARD FOR TRAMWAY-CARS.

PATENT Enron,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,362, dated December 14, 1897. Application filed April 1, 1897. Serial No. 630,211. (N0 model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN FOULK AYRES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alloway, in the county of Salem and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fenders or Guards for Tramway-Cars, of which the following is a full and complete specification, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fenders or guards for tramway-cars; and the object thereof is to provide an improved device of this class which is adapted to be connected with either end of a tramway-car as usually constructed, a further object being to provide an improved fender or guard of this class which is designed foruse in connection with cable-cars, trolley-cars, and other cars of this class and to prevent the serious and sometimes fatal acciden ts which frequently result from a person or object being struck by such cars when in motion.

The invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate parts of my improvement are des-' ignated by numerals of reference in each of 1 the views, and in which- Figure 1 is a side view of one end of a car provided with my improved fender or guard; Fig. 2, a front View thereof, and Fig. 3 a side View of a part of the fender or guard on an enlarged scale.

In the practice of my invention I provide a fender or guard which consists of a main frame which is composed of two main upright bars 5, which are provided at their upper ends with backwardly-directed hooks 6, which are adapted to engage with keepers 7, secured to the dashboard 8, and near their lower ends with similar hooks 9, adapted to engage with keepers 10, which are also secured to the dashboard, and the lower ends of said upright bars 5 are provided with forwardly-directed arms 11 and above said arms with similar supplemental arms 12, and the arms 11 and 12 are connected at their forward ends on each side by vertical rods or bars 13, and said main upright bars are connected by a cross-plate 14, which may be composed of any desired material, and, if preferred, wire and thebottom arms 11 are also connected by a transverse plate 15, which may be composed of wire mesh or any desired material and which forms the bottom of the main frame of the fender or guard.

The main upright bars 5, the main side arms 11,connected therewith, and the supplemental side arms 12, together with the rods 13, by which the arms 11 and 12 at each side are connected, and the bottom plate 15, constitute the main frame of the fender or guard, and pivotally connected with the forward lower portion of the main frame or the side arms 11 thereof is a frame consisting of side bars 16, which are connected by a cross-plate 1'7, composed of wire mesh or other suitable material, and the side bars 16 of said frame are provided at their forward ends with rollers 18, which are adapted to rest upon the rails of the track or upon the ground, and pivotally connected with the upper forward portion of the main frame or arms 12 thereof are two bars 19, which are similar in length to the side bars 16, and the forward ends of the side bars 16 and 19 are connected at each side by a link 20, which is pivotally connected with a central link 21, which is pivotally connected with a link 22, which is pivotally connected with the adjacentside bar 16.

A supplemental frame consisting of side bars 23, which are connected bya transverse plate 24, composed of wire mesh or any suitable material, is also pivotally connected with the upper forward portion of the main frame at 25, and the forward portion of saidsupplemental frame is also provided at each side with rollers 26, and rigidly connected with the forward portion of said supplemental frame and extending backwardly is a flexible and elastic plate 27, and pivotally connected with the forward portion of said supplemental frame at each side are side bars 28, which are pivotally connected with the links 21.

The main upright bars 5 of the main frame of the fender or guard are provided with backwardly-directed arms 29, through which are passed spring-depressed rods 30, to which are secured ropes or cords 31, which are passed over pulleys 32,connected with the upper ends of the main upright bars 5 or with the hooks 6 and connected with the forward part of the fender or guard, as shown in Fig. 1, and the operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the following statement thereof.

The normal position of the separate parts of the fender or guard is that shown in Fig. 1,

and in this position the forward portion of the said fender or guard is held adjacent to the ground by the ropes or cords 31 and the side bars 28, which are connected therewith and with the links 21, and if a person or object should be struck by the fender or guard while the car is in motion the forward portion of the fender or guard would be depressed under ordinary circumstances and said person or object would fall backward] y onto the plate 24, and if such person or object should pass over said plate 2% the plates 15 and 17, which connect the side bars 11 and 16, would prevent such person or object from passing beneath the car.

If the forward portion of the fender or guard should by any means be raised at such time into the position shown in Fig. 3, the person or object would pass beneath said forward portion and onto the frame composed of the side bars 16 and the cross-plate 17 and might pass backwardly onto the frame composed of the main bottom side arms 11 and the crossplate 15; but such person or object could not under any circumstances pass backwardly un der the car.

The raising of the extreme forward portion of the fender 0r guard, as shown in Fig. 2, forces the frame composed of 'the side bars 16 and the cross-plate 17 downwardly until the rollers 18 rest upon the ground or upon the rails of the track, and in the operation above described or when a person or object passes beneath the extreme forward portion of the fender or guard the elastic spring-plate 27 would press upon said person or object and assist in forcing down the forward portion of that part of the frame with which the rollers 18 are connected.

This invention is not limited to the exact form and construction of the various parts of my improved fender or guard as herein described, nor to the material employed therein, and the bottom plates 15, 17, and 24 of the various portions of the fender or guard may be composed of canvas, wire mesh, or any suitable material, as may also the plate 14; and it will be apparent that many changes in and modifications of the construction herein described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A fender or guard for tramway cars which consists of a main frame provided with upright side bars, by which it is connected with the dashboard, said main frame or the forward portion thereof being provided at the top and bottom and at each side with pivoted bars which project forwardly, the bottom bars being connected by a cross-plate, and the forward ends of said pivoted bars at each side being connected by separate links, and a supplemental frame which is pivotally connected with the forward part of the main frame, at the top thereof, and which projects forwardly of said pivoted bars, and said supplemental frame being also provided at its forward end with backwardly-directed side bars which are pivotally connected therewith, and with said links, substantially as shown and described.

2. A fender or guard for tramway cars which consists of a main frame provided with upright side bars, by which it is connected with the dashboard, said main frame or the forward portion thereof being providedat the top and bottom and at each side with pivoted bars which project forwardly, the bottom bars being connected by a cross-plate, and the forward ends of said pivoted bars at each side being connected byseparate links, and a supplemental frame which is pivotall y connected with the forward partof the main frame, at the top thereof, and which projects forwardly of said pivoted bars, and which is provided at its forward end with a baclnvardly-directed elastic spring plate or frame which is secured thereto, and said supplemental frame being also provided at its forward end with backwardly-directed side bars which are pivotally connected therewith, and with said links, and cords, ropes or similar devices which are connected with the forward portion of said supplemental frame, and carried baclnvardly, and passed over pulleys,and the ends of which are connected with spring-depressed bolts, substantially as shown and described.

3. A fender or guard for tramway-cars, comprising a main frame, which consists of two side portions provided with upright bars by which it is connected with the dashboard, said main frame being provided with a bottom portion and the back thereof with a crossplate, and said main frame being also provided at each side, and at the forward end thereof with top and bottom bars, which are pivotally connected therewith, and which project forwardly, said bottom bars being also connected by a bottom portion or plate, and being provided at their forward ends with rollers, and said top and bottom bars at each side being connected by separate links, and a supplemental frame which is pivotally connected with the forward upper portion of the main frame, and which projects forwardly of said pivoted bars, and the forward end of which is provided with side bars which are pivotally connected therewith, and with said links, substantially as shown and described.

4. A fender or guard for tramway-cars, comprising a main frame, which consists of two side portions provided with upright bars by which it is connected with the dashboard, said main frame being provided with a bottom portion and the back thereof with a crossplate, and saidmain frame being also provided at each side, and at the forward end thereof with top and bottom bars, which are pivotally connected therewith, and which project forwardly, said bottom'bars being also connected by a bottom portion or plate, and being provided at their forward ends with rollers, and said top and bottom bars at each side being connected by separate links, and a supplemental frame which is pivotally connected with the forward upper portion of the main frame, and which projects forwardly of said pivoted bars, and the forward end of which is provided with side bars which are pivotally connected therewith, and with said links, and the forward portion of the said supplemental frame being also provided with rollers, substantially as shown and described.

ject forwardly, said bottom bars being also connected by a bottom portion or plate, and being provided at their forward ends wit-h rollers, and said top and bottom bars at each side being connected by separate links, and a supplemental frame which is pivotally connected with the forward upper portion of the main frame, and which projects forwardly of said pivoted bars, and the forward end of which is provided with side bars which are pivotally connected therewith, and with said JOHN FOULK AYRES.

\Vitnesses:

I. OAKFORD ACTON, WILLIAM H. HAZELTON. 

